Bottle holder



Feb. 25, 1964 BUYS 3,122,390

BOTTLE HOLDER Filed March 2'7, 1958 United States Patent Ofice 3,1223%Patented Feb. 25, 1964;-

3,1223% BOTTLE I-IQLDER James F. Buys, 4950 Marine Drive, Chicago 40,Ill. Filed Mar. 27, 1958, Ser. No. 724,314 6 Claims. (El. 294-312) Myinvention relates to bottle holders of the general class typified by US.Patent 2,160,662 issued May 30, 1939, to Tazewell H. Jenkins. Itincludes among its objects and advantages the adaptation of the holderof that patent to use on bottles that must go through an automaticwashing machine with the holders in place on them.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the upper portion of the bottle with aholder according to the invention in place on it;

FIGUR 2 is a plan view of a holder according to the invention;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation of the same holder with its parts in thepositions occupied when carrying the bottle;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation of the assembly eye before closure; and

FIGURE 5 is a side elevation of the same assembly eye after closure withthe bail shown in full lines at the angular position occupied in oneposition of rest on the bottle and in dotted lines in the angularposition for carrying.

The bottle It is of the configuration common for bottles having acapacity of one gallon, but equivalent bottles are made in half gallonsizes. The bottle has an upper bead i2 and a larger bead l4 axiallyspaced below the bead I2 and separated by a short neck 16. The head 14-is commonly called the bumper roll.

The holder comprises the twin reaches 18 and 20 formed of a single pieceof wire and integral with the lifting eye 22, which provides a fulcrumof limited flexibility between the reaches.

Opposite the eye 22 a companion eye is formed in two parts comprising alower half eye 24 at the end of the reach 29 and an upper half eye 26 atthe end of the reach 13. It will be noted that the reach 13 crossesabove the reach Zil at both intersections, so that both lifting eyes areinclined downwardly and to the left, as indicated for the bifurcatedlifting eye in FIGURES l, 3, and 5.

The lifting handle comprises a straight cross bail 28, a first leg 39extending down and articulated with the upper reach of the eye 22, and asecond leg 32 reaching down and articulated with the lower half eye 24.This positions the articulations exactly opposite each other withrespect to the center of the circle defined by the reaches 18 and andwith respect to the center of gravity when the article is being carried.It also makes the eyes availahie as stops to act in opposite senses inlimiting the freedom of movement of the bail 28 and legs 3i) and 32. Theleg 32 is formed with an elbow at 34 and an end eye 36 turnedcounter-clockwise, as viewed in FIGURES l, 3, 4, and 5. Thus, when thehandle lies idle on the right side of the bottle, as indicated in fulllines in FIGURE 1, the bight of the elbow 34 rides over the half eye 26,and with the leg eye 35 as high as it can go the bail 28 descends bygravity into contact, or substantially into contact, with the bottle.

It will be apparent that when the handle is thrown to the dotted lineposition of FIGURE 1, the articulation for the leg 32 exercises norestraint at all on the rotation of the handle. However, when the partsare moved to this position, which is the full line position of FIGURE 2,the leg eye 38 at the lower end of leg 30 Will ride over the lower reachof the lifting eye 22 and function to restrain counter-clockwiserotation in precisely the same way. Be-

cause both lifting eyes slant downwardly and to the left as viewed inFIGURE 3, the elbow 46 in the leg 3% is materially shallower than theelbow 34 in the leg 32. In some instances, the shape and dimensions ofthe bottle may be such that the leg 34) can remain perfectly straight.The degree of angularity for both elbows 34 and 40 will vary with therelative diameters of the articulated eyes compared with the diameter ofthe wire itself.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that in the assembled structurethe lifting eye 22 is a positive stop for arresting counter-clockwiserotation of the handle substantially at the point where the bail 23strikes the bottle, and the other lifting eye 24, 26 is a positive stoplimiting clockwise rotation at substantially the point where the bail 28hits the bottle. Such limitation is quite immaterial, so far as thebottle itself is concerned, but this limitation accomplishes the novelfunction of making the device fool-proof with respect to being assembledon the bottle wrong side up by an unexperienced person.

As viewed in FIGURE 1, approximately the bottom of a circle around theaxis through the handle articulations is out of bounds for the handlemovement. When correctly assembled, this is the space occupied by thebottle itself, but it is just as easy for an unexperienced operator toslip the ring down over the bottle neck the other side up and completethe assembly in that condition. But because of the obstruction, a personthus assembling it immediately finds that the ball 28 cannot rise morethan about 30 above the horizontal, and this makes it impossible to pickup the bottle in a normal Way and apprises the user that something iswrong before the user walks off, and a little yank unhooks the ring, andthe bottle falls and is broken.

In assembly, the ring is positioned in the condition indicated in FIGURE4 with the half eyes 24 and 26 disengaged from each other. The eye 24has a bevelled end at 44, and these ends interlock, as indicated inFIGURE 5, and precisely as indicated in Jenkins Patent 2,160,662.

It will be noted that the wedging action disclosed in the Jenkins patentfor springing the parts from the position of FIGURE 4 to the position ofFIGURE 5 by swinging the handle is no longer available. Theunexperienced person may, if he so desires, thrust a screw-driver alongthe line indicated at 46 in FIGURE 4, and then swing the handle of thescrew-driver clockwise and engage the half eyes in the position ofFIGURE 5. However, operators engaged in assembling such holders on thebottles, if the parts are properly proportioned, never find itsnecessary to use such a tool. With the reaches 18 and 2t hearing againstthe under surface of the bumper roll 13 a firm pressure with the fingertips on the reaches will move the half eye 24 from the position ofFIGURE 4 over the top of the leg eye 36 far enough to let the half eye26 slip up into place in the position of FIGURE 5.

It is emphasized that, as viewed in FIGURE 2, the right side of the eye22, and the left half eye 24, are the portions directly articulated withthe lower ends of the legs of the carrying handle. Thus, with respect tothe vertical axis of the bottle, both load points are ofiset clockwisefrom the centers of the complete eyes 22, and 2426, in the sameclockwise sense. This is the exact reverse of the arrangement of FIGURE3 of Jenkins Patent 2,169,662, where both legs are articulated with thelower halves of the complete lifting eyes and the load carrying thepoint on the left is oifset counterclockwise from the center of the eye,but the load carrying contact on the right is ofiset clockwise.

Because of this reversal, the load points remain in a straight linepassing through the bottle axis and the suspended bottle hangs vertical,rather than canted to one side.

A more significant functional result is that these identicalload-carrying points, as viewed in FIGURES 1, 3, 4 and 5, obtain aradically difierent control of the rotation of the handle when thebottle is stationary and supporting the handle. The articulation withthe half eye 24 is to the left of the center of the complete eye, sothat the right half eye 26 limits clockwise rotation of the handle downfrom the lifting position of FIGURE 3 toward the bottle about thetransverse horizontal line passing through both load carrying points.The articulation with the eye 22 is with the right side of that eye, sothat the left side of the eye 22 limits counterclockwise rotation of thehandle down toward i116 bottle from the lifting position of FIGURE 3. Inother words, starting from the position of FIGURE 3, clockwise rotationof the handle is limited by the lifting eye nearest the observerapproximately to a position resting by gravity on the right side of thebottle, While counterclockwise rotation is limited by the articula--tion farthest from the observer to the other position with the bailapproximately in contact with the bottle on the left side. By the sametoken, if a hurried or careless operator slips the lifting loop intoposition on the bottle upside down with respect to the correct positionof assembly, th first attempt to pick up the bottle reveals that thehandle cannot move up farther than a point approximately 60 from thevertical position of FIGURE 3 and the error in assembly prevents any useat all and becomes immediately obvious.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that I have accomplished atleast the objects enumerated above, with the incidental minor advantagethat the bottles will hang exactly vertical when picked up. This couldbe accomplished with a construction according to the patent only bymaking one of the reaches encircle more than 180 of the bottle neck, andthe other reach less. Such asymmetry is a very difiicult thing toachieve in mass production.

This application is a continuation in part of my copending applicationSerial Number 424,828 filed April 22, 1954, now abondoned.

Others may readily adapt the invention for use under various conditionsof service by employing one or more of the novel features disclosed orequivalents thereof. As at present advised, with respect to the apparentscope of my invention, I desire to claim the following subject matter:

1. In a carrying bottle holder of the type comprising ring means adaptedto encircle a fianiged bottle neck below the flange; and U-shaped handlemeans, comprising a carrying bail and legs extending down to engage saidring means; the combination oat opposite arcuate reaches each shaped toencircle substantially half said neck; said reaches, jointly,constituting said ringmeans; a first, permanent, ring connection betweenthe adjacent ends of said reaches on one side of said neck; a first,permanent,

s interlocking, articulated leg connection between said ring and one ofsaid legs; said finst, articulated leg connection being at said firstring connection; a second ring connection between said reaches at theirremote ends on the opposite side of said neck; said second ringconnection being detachable to permit assembly with a bottle; and asecond, articulated leg connection between the other of sad legs andsaid reaches; said second, articulated leg connection being at saidsecond ring connection; the ends of said reaches at said ringconnections having portions rejecting into the paths of the adjacentends of said handle legs to prevent rotation of said handle into aposition extending downward when said reaches are on a bottle right sideup; whereby assembling the reaches Wrong side up prevents the bail fromextending upward and thus compels the operator to reverse the reachesinto the right side up position.

2. A combination according to claim 1, in which said second reachconnection comprises reversely turned end portions having beveled endsadapted to slip past each other into interlocking engagement.

3. A combination according to claim 2, inwhich said ring is of largerdiameter in' unassembled, undistorted condition, than in assembled,locked condition.

4. A combination according to claim 3, in which said reaches cross eachother adjacent the second reach connection, and said reversely turnedportions are beyond the crossing; the beveled ends tending to press thecrossed reaches against each other; whereby abutment of the crossedreaches holds the beveled ends in locked abutment.

5. A combination according to claim 4 in which said reaches inundistorted condition hold said separable connection separate, anddefine an opening large enough to pass over a bead on the neck of thebottle to be carried; said reaches being adapted to yield resilientlyunder the pressure of the finger tips of a user, and permit saidconnection to snap into locked position; said reaches and handle beingof wire of circular cross-section, and said first, permanent connectionbeing a lifting eye integral with said reaches.

6. A co rbination according to claim 5 in which said separableconnection is a bifurcated lifting eye, each half References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Jenkins May 30, 1939Merner Feb. 3, 1942

1. IN A CARRYING BOTTLE HOLDER OF THE TYPE COMPRISING RING MEANS ADAPTEDTO ENCIRCLE A FLANGED BOTTLE NECK BELOW THE FLANGE; AND U-SHAPED HANDLEMEANS, COMPRISING A CARRYING BAIL AND LEGS EXTENDING DOWN TO ENGAGE SAIDRING MEANS; THE COMBINATION OF OPPOSITE ARCUATE REACHES EACH SHAPED TOENCIRCLE SUBSTANTIALLY HALF SAID NECK; SAID REACHES, JOINTLY,CONSTITUTING SAID RING MEANS; A FIRST, PERMANENT, RING CONNECTIONBETWEEN THE ADJACENT ENDS OF SAID REACHES ON ONE SIDE OF SAID NECK; AFIRST, PERMANENT, INTERLOCKING, ARTICULATED LEG CONNECTION BETWEEN SAIDRING AND ONE OF SAID LEGS; SAID FIRST, ARTICULATED LEG CONNECTION BEINGAT SAID FIRST RING CONNECTION; A SECOND RING CONNECTION BETWEEN SAIDREACHES AT THEIR REMOTE ENDS ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID NECK; SAIDSECOND RING CONNECTION BEING DETACHABLE TO PERMIT ASSEMBLY WITH ABOTTLE; AND A SECOND, ARTICULATED LEG CONNECTION BETWEEN THE OTHER OFSAID LEGS AND SAID REACHES; SAID SECOND, ARTICULATED LEG CONNECTIONBEING AT SAID SECOND RING CONNECTION; THE ENDS OF SAID REACHES AT SAIDRING CONNECTIONS HAVING PORTIONS PROJECTING INTO THE PATHS OF THEADJACENT ENDS OF SAID HANDLE LEGS TO PREVENT ROTATION OF SAID HANDLEINTO A POSITION EXTENDING DOWNWARD WHEN SAID REACHES ARE ON A BOTTLERIGHT SIDE UP; WHEREBY ASSEMBLING THE REACHES WRONG SIDE UP PREVENTS THEBAIL FROM EXTENDING UPWARD AND THUS COMPELS THE OPERATOR TO REVERSE THEREACHES INTO THE RIGHT SIDE UP POSITION.